At least not for several years. Many patients have made comments recently that they have heard that I am retiring from medical practice. While there are several things that have come together recently that have stimulated those rumors, I am not planning to retire until I am at least 65 years old.  That is at least seven years away (you can do the math). I would like to take this opportunity to explain the changes that are happening in our practice that might make our availability different from what it has been previously.

First, I have been named the Medical Director for Informatics for Baptist Health. This is a combination IT and quality administrative role that requires me to be out of the office to attend meetings a couple of days per week.

Another factor affecting our office is that Gena has returned to school in order to get her Doctorate in Nursing Practice. In order to attend school full-time, she has had to cut back to working part-time in the office. She should be finished with school in the Summer of 2019.

We have been happy to bring Lori Shea-Green, ARNP back to practice with us. She is also pursuing her DNP degree and working part-time in the office. Her schooling should be complete in the Fall of 2019.

So what does this mean? We have someone working in the office Monday through Friday, but it may take a little longer to get an appointment with a particular provider.

Here are some suggestions that might be helpful in making your appointment:

1. Schedule your next follow-up appointment when you are leaving the office during your current appointment.
2. Call well in advance for routine wellness visits, physicals, and routine follow-up appointments.
3. For acute problems (sickness, injuries, etc.) call as soon as you can and we will do our best to get you in to see one of us as soon as possible.

We love our patients and the relationships that we have built over the years. Thank you for trusting us with your care and we hope to continue working with you all for many, many more years.